Of Grace and Banners Fallen
by DutchLing66
Summary: As the war between Voldemort and the Wizarding World erupts, Ron Weasley finds life difficult. He has to protect his family, help his best friend and sort out his feelings for the love of his life. This fanfiction follows HBP and DH in time frame, but not in storyline. This is my own idea!
1. Prologue

_Hi there. A short introduction should be approriate. I am 21 years old and live in the Netherlands. I've been a great Harry Potter fan for years, and have read almost every major fanfiction out here. So I decided to give it a try meself. English ain't my mother tongue, so excuses for gramatical failure. I'm simply not able to keep every wrong letter out of this tekst. I hope you all understand._

_So, to this story. This Harry Potter fanfiction takes place in HBP and DH. It does NOT follow the normal storyline, but is a new creation. As Voldemort and his Death Eaters grow more powerful and open warfare erupts, Ron Weasley finds himself in a harsh world. He has to look after his family, his best friend, and after the girl he loves. Will he make it? You can find out here._

_I greatly appreciate reviews, but I won't be able to write an answer to every one. Sorry!_

**Prologue**

**Death is Everywhere**

The room was dark. Black curtains kept out the sunlight, making the room feel like midnight itself. Only a small fire spread some light and warmth. Several man in black robes sat at a long table, their faces hidden in deep shadows. None of them spoke a word. They watched as a man in black robes slowly walked in front of the fireplace. The flames illuminated his white skin. Two red eyes, full of anger, blazed in the light of the flames. Lord Voldemort suddenly turned to watch his followers sitting silently at the table.

'Word has reached my ears,' he hissed in a dangerous tone. 'That one of you has been spotted _inside _the Auror Department.' His red eyes looked at each shadowed face, daring somebody to speak up to him. It was clear the Dark Lord was in rage. One of the men at the table coughed. The two red eyes immediately swung to the figure. 'You've got something to say Lucius?'

Lucius Malfoy stood up. His pale face held nothing of his normal arrogance. He knew the Dark Lord had not yet forgiven him for the disaster at the Department of Mystifications. His punishment had been severe. 'My Lord,' he said in a low voice. 'I have succeeded in capturing one of the personal aides of Albus Dumbledore. She is named Sprout. It could well be she's informed on the latest plans of the Headmaster, My Lord.' Malfoy senior bowed his head.

Voldemort said nothing. His red eyes, shining with rage, looked upon the servant that had failed him to many times already. 'Get her here,' he hissed. Lucius bowed and left the room. His footsteps were the only sounds in the eerily quit Malfoy manor.

Lucius entered one of the rooms that had been used in the last months as a prison. The woman lying on the ground was skinny and filthy. She looked up at him with haunted eyes. 'The Dark Lord wishes to speak to you in person Professor Sprout,' Lucius said coldly. 'Come with me.' He held his wand at the ready. He knew that sometimes prisoners would find in themselves one last shred of hope and willpower. She could still try to escape her fate.

Professor Sprout followed him into the dark room. She didn't say a word. Voldemort turned as Lucius and his prisoner entered. A knowing smile split his snake-like face. 'Professor Sprout,' he beamed. 'How nice of you to join us.' His red eyes observed the Hogwarts Professor. Lucius retreated into the shadows. He knew his Lord wouldn't want him to be part of his little games.

'Tell me, how fares old Dumbledore?' Voldemort asked. Professor Sprout didn't answer him. Lucius shook his head. The foolish woman was dead already, so why didn't she talk? She was only making her suffering worse. The Dark Lord beamed at the woman, his face slowly growing into a manic and terrifying expression. Lucius had seen it before. It always ended in death. 'You refuse to talk to me, old woman?' he sneered.

'That's right,' Professor Sprout said, her voice shaking and broken. 'I won't talk. I don't know about the plans of Dumbledore. He doesn't share.' She looked down. _Mistake, _Lucius thought, _you give him the impression your hiding something. This is going to be bloody. _He crossed his arms.

Voldemort sighted. 'Alright then,' he said slowly. 'Have it your way.' His wand appeared in his hand, pointing at the Hogwarts aide. '_Crucio!_' A high pitched scream escaped Professor Sprout as she fell trashing to the ground. Voldemort laughed out loud. The Death Eaters in the room backed away, giving their lord the room he needed. None of them said a word.

It seemed like hours passed before the screams ended. As silence once again took hold of the dark room, Voldemort slowly circled around the Professor. The old lady lay on the floor, shivering and gasping for air. The red eyes of the Dark Lord gleamed with a burning fire. 'Are you ready to tell me what I want to know woman?' he sneered. 'Or shall we get another round of torture to get you talking? One way or the other, talk you will.'

Professor Sprout slowly worked herself up into a sitting position. With fearfull eyes she looked up at Voldemort. 'Dumbledore is trying to recruit new fighters,' she whispered, hugging herself as she spoke in a bitter voice. 'I don't know who, of where. It seems the Order of the Phoenix is trying to infiltrate the Ministry, just as … just as the Death Eaters are doing.' She winced. 'I believe that the Headmaster is securing Hogwarts against a possible attack. He might be fearful of an attack on the students.' She lowered her gaze.

'And what about the Potter boy?' Voldemort hissed.

Professor Sprout winced. Her shoulders shook with silent crying. 'He is protected day and night by the Professors,' she said. 'You can't get to him. Dumbledore makes no mistakes when it comes to Harry Potter.' Sprout looked up at Voldemort, a hint of defiance in her eyes. 'You will never get to him. He is too well protected in Hogwarts.'

Voldemort laughed. It was a laugh without any humor in it. 'Good,' he whispered. 'As long as Dumbelore stays in the shadows and is afraid of me, I can do what I want. My master plan keeps in the shadows this way. Let him keep the Potter boy locked up in the castle. That way, it's easier for me to get to him.' The Dark Lord looked down upon the Professor. 'Thank you for answering my questions, woman. _Avada Kedavra_.' A green flash illuminated the room.

Lucius stared down at the body. Two glazed brown eyes looked up to him. Lucius gave the dead body a final look before turning around, marching off. He didn't look back once. Of course he didn't feel pity for the woman. He never felt pity for the weak. And he had a job to complete.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter one**

**News from London**

The morning sunlight made Ron Weasley stir in his sleep. He mumbled something incoherent before his eyes snapped open. He sat up and groaned as he made his way to the window, looking out over the Hogwarts grounds. It was November, and already the first night frost had arrived. It promised to be an icy cold winter with a lot of snow. Ron loved snow, but he wasn't into the cold. He preferred the hot summer days, swimming in some river or lake in the woods.

As Ron made his way towards the Gryffindor common room, he yawned. It was still early in the morning, and to make matters worse, it was Saturday. Ron however knew Hermione would be up early, as the was always the first one to wake up. As expected, Ron found the seventeen year old girl sitting in a red chair near the fireplace, fervently reading an old looking book. Ron smiled as he looked upon Hermione, who had not yet seen him enter the common room. Her chocolate brown eyes flew over the pages, sucking in every word and every knowledge the book had to offer.

'I should watch out if I were you,' Ron said loudly. He smiled as Hermione looked at him, clearly surprised to see him awake so early in the morning. 'That book's to big. If you don't watch yourself, you'll be sitting here all day reading.' He smirked as Hermione sighted. She closed the book and beamed at him, her eyes on fire. 'Maybe you should read some more Ronald Weasley,' she said in an icy tone. 'That way I won't be the one to fill in your homework every week.'

Ron opened his mouth, and closed it again. He shrugged. Of course Hermione was right. She always was, especially when it came to school. That was one of the many things Ron admired about Hermione. She had an insane amount of determination to learn as much as she could. Still, Ron would love her to be a little more like himself sometimes, to let things go for a minute. Ron opened his mouth to say his thought out loud, when a ticking sound made him look towards the window. A brown owl was sitting on the wooden window frame, looking impatient.

Before Ron could do anything, Hermione got to the window. She opened it and let the owl in. Tied to its leg was a small newspaper: the Daily Prophet. As Hermione got the owl some water, Ron opened the Prophet and scanned the front page. His face fell immediately. Of course, he wasn't able to hide his shock from Hermione. 'What is it?' she asked in a small voice. 'Ron?'

Ron looked up. He could see the fear in Hermione's brown eyes and mentally cursed himself for not hiding his emotions well enough. 'There has been another attack,' he said slowly, weighing his every word. 'In the centre of Muggle London. Several people got killed. The Ministry says Death Eaters attacked several shopping malls in the early hours yesterday morning.' He shrugged.

Hermione slowly nodded. She looked at the article herself. The image on the front page showed a gruesome scene of burning buildings and shattered glass. Several people were running away from the inferno, terrified looks on their faces. Ron saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, Ron walked over to Hermione and hugged her, ignoring the strange feeling in his stomach. 'What's wrong?' he whispered in her ear.

Hermione shrugged, fighting tears. 'My parents,' she whispered slowly. 'There Muggles, Ron. They have no way to defend themselves against Death Eaters. For all I know, they could be dead tomorrow.' One tear escaped her eyes and rolled onto her flushed cheeks. Ron caught it and brushed it away with his thumb. He smiled down at Hermione.

As he opened his mouth to reassure the girl in his arms, he heard footsteps coming closer. Ron swiftly let go of Hermione and stepped back, a blush covering his ears. Harry came into view only a second later. His green eyes gazed to Ron, and then to Hermione. A knowing smile crept across his face. 'Morning,' he said in a low voice. 'I was wondering where you were Ron. Your bed was empty, and the sun's been up for just two hours.' He grinned softly.

Ron looked nervously at his best friend. He hadn't told Harry of his feelings for Hermione. Bloody hell, he wasn't even sure himself how he felt about her. And now, he felt like he was caught on the spot by his best friend. No words formed in his mouth. 'Harry,' the strong voice of Hermione said close to him. 'We were discussing this.' She gave him the Daily Prophet.

Harry looked at the article, his eyes wide. 'Oh,' he said, looking from Ron to Hermione. 'I … I didn't know. I'm sorry, Hermione.' He held his gaze to the newspaper in his hands. It seemed he was unable to take his eyes away from the burning buildings and screaming people.

Hermione stept closer to him. Ron watched as she took the newspaper gently out of Harry's now trembling hands. 'It's okay Harry,' she said in a strong voice. 'We knew this was going to happen sooner or later. The Death Eaters have become more active in recent weeks. Ever since we returned from the Department of Mystifications.' Ron admired Hermione for speaking in such a reassuring tone. Even talking about the horrific hours inside the Ministry made Ron uneasy. He had not yet forgotten the pain he had felt, or the worry about his friends.

'The Order will know what to do,' Harry said as he looked at the picture of burning buildings and broken windows. 'Kingsley and the others will protect them, Hermione.'

Hermione nodded silently. Ron let out his breath and shook his head. The Order had saved them in the Ministry, but Ron doubted they would exhaust themselves protecting Muggles. This was a wizarding war, after all. However, he said nothing. He knew how sensitive Harry was when it came to people dying at the hands of Voldemort and his followers. He always took it personally, as if he could have prevented the Death Eaters from attacking the shopping malls himself.

'Let's go down,' Ron heard himself say, breaking the silence. 'We need to get a good breakfast today, remember? Dueling classes are this morning.' He looked from Harry to Hermione. Both nodded at him.

As they made their way towards the Great Hall, Ron fell silent. He didn't feel like talking. His stomach growled, remembering him about the fact that he hadn't had a proper meal in at least twelve hours. His eyes kept darting to Hermione. She looked alright, but Ron could easily see through her façade. She was still scared about her parents. And with good reason, Ron thought. Her parents and her entire family were Muggle born. That put them in grave danger, as their daughter was best friends with the man Voldemort wanted to kill so badly.

_I'll be there to protect her, _he vowed silently, _no one shall harm my Hermione. _He missed a step as he thought about his words. His Hermione. Was he going mental? He tried another glance at the girl, only to find her staring back to him. A red shade crept to the tips of his ears.

As they entered the Great Hall they found that all banks had already been pushed back. The Professors McGonagall and Snape were writing down the last instructions on a huge black board. Ron, Harry and Hermione sat down and took some bread, fruit and cake. Ron looked on as more students arrived in the Great Hall. Slowly a murmur filled the Hall. To his great disgust, Malfoy and the other Slytherin students marched into the Great Hall. Somewhere deep down inside of his mind he had hoped that the Slytherin House would be expelled from the dueling lessons.

'Bloody hell,' he exclaimed and shook his head. 'I don't understand why McGonagall invited those blokes to the dueling lessons. I mean, half of their parents are probably Death Eaters.' He looked at Malfoy. His parents were sure to be up to no good. Ron had seen Lucius Malfoy at the Ministry with his own eyes. The bastard had tried to kill them all.

'Easy Ron,' Hermione whispered from his left. 'It's no use to get yourself al worked up. It's impossible to shut the Slytherin students out. Some of them might be in as much danger as we are.' Ron heard the hesitation in her voice, but decided it was too early for an argument. 'I will keep myself in check,' he promised in a soft voice. 'But if Malfoy or any of his friends try something, I will hex them into the seventh hell myself.'

Harry grinned and slapped him on the back as he stood up. McGonagall and Snape stood near the seat of the Headmaster. All eyes were fixed on the two Professors. 'May I have your attention please,' McGonagall said in a loud voice. 'Because of the dark events taking place outside these castle walls, we have decided to start a dueling hour. We will train all of you in defensive spells, so that you can survive out there.' The harsh words of McGonagall deepened the eerie silence in the Great Hall. Some students looked uncomfortable from left to right, as if wanting to run away.

'We will train you,' Snape took over. His soft voice was like ice itself, cold and distant. 'Those who work hard will be rewarded. Those who lack in skill of cunning will fail.' A hint of a smile was visible on Snape's face as he looked directly at Harry. Ron stiffened. He felt Harry tense beside him, but none of them spoke up. Snape nodded and turned his attention back to the Great Hall. 'Make pairs. We will see what your able to do. Try to disarm each other.'

Ron turned, only to find Hermione standing in front of him. She smiled and her eyes glistered as she looked at him. Ron shrugged and took out his wand. 'I will go easy on you,' he promised. The only thing Hermione did was smile even broader. _Blimey, _Ron thought uneasy, _I don't like that smile. _He tensed as he waited for the signal. 'Now!' McGonagall bellowed. Ron began performing the spell, but Hermione beat him easily. '_Expeliarmus!_' she said loud. Ron felt his wand slip from his fingers and heard the wood clattering on the floor. He cursed.

'Very good protection,' Hermione said, still smiling. Ron picked up his wand. They took turns in disarming each other, each time trying to be faster than the other. Suddenly, Ron felt a presence behind him. He turned to see Snape stare at him, a smirk on his face. 'Afraid Weasley?' he said. 'I saw your wand work. It was a bitter disappointment to me, to be honest.' He smiled.

'Excuse me, Sir, but I think Ron did a good job.' Harry appeared out of nowhere, his green eyes shooting daggers at Snape.

'Do you, now?' Snape said as he looked at Harry. Ron looked to the two man and held his breath. He was never sure what would happen when Harry and Snape were in one room together. Snape shook his head. 'Great words mister Potter,' he said. 'Let's see how your able to hold yourself. Malfoy, come here! Everybody pay attention!'

_O bullocks, _Ron thought, _this is going to be messy. Gods!_


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter two**

**The Lion versus The Snake**

Ron watched as Harry and Malfoy stood face to face. Their eyes were winter cold, and he could almost feel the hatred flow between the two. Professor McGonagall looked on with a concerned face. As always, Snape seemed to be the only one who didn't worry. Instead, he smiled.

'I want you to do no harm to each other,' McGonagall said. Ron was sure she was talking more to Malfoy than to Harry. Something about the look in Draco Malfoy's eyes made Ron uneasy. For a brief moment he wondered why that was. _You fool, _he mentally screamed, _Harry and yourself threw his father in prison. Of course he has reasons to be mad! _Ron felt his throat constrict as McGonagall stepped back, creating room for Harry and Malfoy to duel. The atmosphere in the Greath Hall suddenly became hot and almost dangerous.

'Begin!' Snape said loudly. Before Ron could do anything, both Harry and Malfoy raised their wands. There curses, green and red, collided in the centre of the Great Hall. A loud bang was heard. Several students screamed, others backed away to the walls. Harry and Malfoy slowly began circling around each other, searching for an opening to strike.

Malfoy moved again. A stunning spell shot at Harry, who was able to conjure a shield just in time. Instead of hitting him, the spell bounced back and hit a table. Malfoy cursed and resumed his slow circling, mimicked by Harry.

'What's the matter Malfoy?' Ron heard Harry ask in a low voice. 'Why are you afraid? It's just me.'

It seemed his words worked Malfoy up again. He took a step closer and shot another curse. Harry blocked it and attacked. Ron watched with slight awe as Harry shot several curses at Malfoy, clearly trying to hit him full force. 'You go Harry,' he whispered.

A spell from Harry broke through Malfoy's shield curse. He stepped back, his robes whirling around his skinny body. Harry gasped for air. His eyes went wide as he looked at something. Ron looked more closely at Draco, but he didn't see anything abnormal.

Malfoy stared at Harry. He seemed tense, and ready to run. His face got red as his eyes darted down towards his stretched arms, and then back to Harry. He cursed loud. 'I'm going to let you pay!' he screamed. His wand twisted in his hands as he shot another curse at Harry. The air in the Great Hall went icy cold. Ron held his breath. It was clear that Malfoy was shooting a lot more dangerous spell at Harry as he had before. Ron looked on as Harry deflected the spell, raising his own wand in response. 'I don't think so Malfoy,' he growled angry.

Suddenly, Ron felt a hand clench his own. He blinked with his eyes and looked down. The soft hand of Hermione was holding his, trembling. Ron placed his own fingers around her hand, wondering for a moment why her hand was so soft and warm. He let out his breath, desperately trying to ignore the strange feeling in his stomach. _This is Hermione. She is my best friend, for God's sake! Stop seeking answers to your feelings, Ron Weasley._

Ron looked at Hermione, surprise in his eyes. All of her attention however was on the two dueling boys. She bit her lip, clearly restraining herself from interfering. Ron felt the same urge to step in and stop Malfoy before serious harm could happen to his best friend. He silently looked on as curses flew around the Great Hall, wondering what would happen next. 'Come on Harry,' he mumbled to himself. 'Show that sneaky gitt what your made of. You can have him.'

Forgetting Hermione's hand in his, his eyes suddenly widened. Harry stepped forward, narrowly evading a curse Malfoy shot at his chest. Harry raised his wand and screamed a curse. The red beam threw Malfoy several meters backwards. The ground shook with the power of the curse.

Snape stepped forward. His face was pale as he looked down on Malfoy. 'Are you alright?' he said in a cold voice. Malfoy looked at him and nodded, trying to get up from the floor. His face twisted in pain. Snape supported him, shooting daggers at Harry with his eyes. Harry however wasn't paying any attention. His eyes were fixed on Malfoy. Ron could almost see the anger in his eyes. But he realized there was also something else in the eyes of his best friend. Shock.

McGonagall stepped forward. She cleared her throat and looked from Harry to Malfoy. 'Well … that was … impressive,' she said slowly. 'From the both of you. Get back to your friends, boys. The lesson is over for today.' Ron saw her glance at Harry as she spoke. Harry nodded and stepped back towards Ron and Hermione. Ron felt Hermione's hand distracting itself from his, and felt a sudden pang of regret and loss. He shook his head, confused over his feelings.

'What was that all about?' he asked his best friend in a whisper.

Harry simply shook his head. He walked towards the doors of the Great Hall, not looking back at his two best friends. Ron and Hermione exchanged a nervous glance and followed him onto the stairs to the second floor. None of them spoke as they made their way deeper and deeper into the silent castle. As they entered another corridor on the third floor, Hermione clearly couldn't take it anymore. She tugged Harry at his arm.

Harry looked around, his eyebrows raised questioningly. 'What was that all about Harry?' Hermione said in a small voice. 'You are clearly upset about something. It … it looked like you two were seriously trying to kill each other down there.' She shivered.

'I saw it,' Harry said, clearly fuming with anger. 'I swear I saw it.'

'Saw what Harry?' Hermione asked, trying to calm him down. 'Tell us what you saw. It was clear to everyone that you were upset about something.' Ron nodded, looking with worry at the face of his best friend. He hadn't seen Harry this worked up in weeks.

'The dark mark,' Harry spat. He stopped in the empty hall and turned round, looking Ron and Hermione into the faces. 'I saw the dark mark on Malfoy's arm. I am sure of it. That's why he panicked and tried to seriously harm me. I know he knows I saw it.' He shook his head. 'I should have known, though. Voldemort would want at least two pair of eyes inside Hogwarts to spy for him. I'm amazed Dumbledore hasn't found out yet.'

'Are you sure Harry?' Hermione said, a hint of hesitation in her voice. 'We all know you've been suspecting Malfoy since fourth year. I know his father's a Death Eater, but that doesn't mean Malfoy is to. He's too young.'

Harry looked at Hermione. Ron stepped forward, a frown on his face. He wasn't going to let Harry take out his anger against Hermione.

'I know what I saw Hermione,' Harry said. 'I've seen the dark mark before. It makes perfect sense for Voldemort to use Draco Malfoy. He's young and agile. He will be able to slip past the security measures of the Order around the castle. He's the perfect rat in the hole.'

'I'm not so sure,' Hermione whispered. 'Voldemort is not stupid Harry. If Malfoy would get caught, that would mean the end of his plans. He can't risk that much. If he has informed Malfoy of his plans, Malfoy will be able to tell everything to Dumbledore. It would be a great strategic disadvantage for Voldemort if Dumbledore knows of his secret agenda, don't you think? I think you're … well … you're kind of overreacting. Maybe you haven't seen what you thought you have seen.' Her voice was again uncertain, but she didn't seem to notice.

'Are you saying I'm wrong?' Harry yelled. 'Are you saying I'm blind? That I can't even trust me own eyes anymore?'

'Take it easy mate,' Ron said, stepping in to aid Hermione. 'We didn't say you were wrong. We only said that it was unlikely Malfoy would try something as long as Dumbledore and the other Professors are here. For now, I think you should drop the subject.'

Harry still looked unconvinced. As they reached the Gryffindor common room however, he had ultimately decided to let the subject go for the moment. Harry groaned as he sat himself in a chair close to the fire, rubbing his neck. Ron and Hermione seated themselves opposite of Harry, trying to break the sudden silence between the three of them.

'Tomorrow is the next trip to Hogsmead,' Hermione said. 'I think we should go. Maybe we could ask Ginny along. It's time we have some fun again.'

Ron nodded. He wanted to look at the new broom the local shop was selling. He was also dying to see the new candy lines Fred and George had launched just three weeks earlier. It seemed they were both making good money out of it. 'I agree,' he said and looked at Harry. 'We need to get outside of the castle, mate. It's been to long already. I'm dying in here with nothing but old books to read.' He smirked at Hermione, who pressed her lips together.

Harry seemed to hesitate just a moment. Then he nodded to. 'Will do,' he mumbled, not meeting their eyes. 'You can ask Ginny, Ron. I'm sure she'll be glad to go with us.' Ron looked confused at his best friend. It almost seemed as if Harry wanted Ginny to come along. Why would he want that so badly? Ron shook his head. He pushed the thoughts back inside his mind.

_There is nothing going on with those two, _he said to himself, _I'm just paranoid. Ginny is my little sister. Harry wouldn't ever fall for her, would he?_

'I'll ask her,' he mumbled. Harry nodded, still not meeting his eyes. 'Thank you, Ron.'


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter three**

**Rampage at Hogsmead**

Ron shivered in the cold morning wind. He mentally cursed himself for not getting a thick Weasley sweater that morning. Instead, he wore only a thin pair of gloves and a red Gryffindor cloak. It was nowhere near enough to keep the icy wind away. He looked grumpily at the Aurors who were standing guard at the Hogwarts gates. They let nobody pass outside before they had checked them on hidden items or dangerous stuff. _Hurry up, _Ron thought, _I'm bloody freezing over here!_

It seemed to take another hour to move up to the Aurors. The two men looked grumpy as they searched Hermione and Harry. Of course, they found nothing dangerous. Ron moved up and smiled at the two men. They didn't return the favor. One of them hastily searched him, muttering under his breath about the cold and little children. Ron shook his head as he made his way to his two waiting friends.

'There absolutely mental,' he exclaimed. 'Letting us wait for hours in the cold. What do they suppose? That we bring Death Eaters _outside _of the castle under our cloaks?' He grinned.

'That's not funny Ron!' Hermione snapped. She turned round to look at Ron, anger in her brown eyes. 'Somebody could be ambushed. You know what the Death Eaters are capable of. They could … I mean … they could use the Imperious curse on students.' She looked down, a shiver running down her entire body as the muttered those last words.

Ron felt guilty. He hadn't truly considered his words well. He had just, like so often, spoke up what his mind was already thinking. 'I'm sorry Hermione,' he said and put a hand on her arm. 'I wasn't thinking about that. I'm sorry I made you upset. Of course it's completely normal they check on us. It's war, after all.'

Hermione slowly nodded and looked up at him. Her eyes were unreadable, but Ron didn't see any anger in them. He let out his breath. He didn't know why he was so glad Hermione wasn't angry at him. He clearly remembered the times they had fought over nothing important. It just gave him a thrill to fight with the girl in front of him. Both of them had always tried to win, to get the other one to admit they were wrong. Somehow, that had changed in the last couple of months. It had all changed as soon as the war began, Ron realized.

'Let's go to Zonko's,' Harry interrupted, looking to the both of them. 'I'm starving.'

Ron nodded. He broke eye contact with Hermione and led the way into Hogsmead. The sleepy town looked like it was Christmas already. The houses were typically wizard, none of them the same. Ron couldn't understand how Muggles could stand the grey lives in neighborhoods full of grey houses, all of them the same to his eyes.

As they entered Zonko's, Ron looked at the thousands of candies. There was simply too many. He would never be able to choose between them, he realized. With a pang of regret Ron also knew he had only a little amount of money to spend. His family had never been rich, and Ron had grown used to live with that, but that didn't mean he liked it. Seeing Harry spend several golden galleons, Ron suppressed a pang of jealousy. He closed his eyes for a moment.

A soft hand on his shoulder made him turn. Hermione was looking at him, a knowing look in her eyes. 'Don't,' she whispered to him. 'I'll buy you something today Ron. You deserve it, after you helped me last night.' She smiled. Ron opened his mouth to protest. He had never liked other people paying for him in whatever way possible. Hermione gave him a warming with her eyes, and Ron quickly closed his mouth. He wasn't going to argue with her today, he decided.

As they left Zonko, their pockets were filled with sweet candy. Ron looked on as several students from Ravenclaw began a mud fight. Several onlookers smiled, and none of them tried to interfere. Hermione giggled and shook her head.

Ron shivered as a new gust of icy wind blew across the street. He looked up at the sky. It was getting darker by the minute. Soon, rain of even snow would start falling down, he thought. 'Let's get to the Three Broomsticks,' he said. 'I'm freezing. Some butter beer might do us good.' He smiled as Harry and Hermione quickly nodded. The three of them hurried towards the Three Broom Sticks before the rest of the Hogwarts students would get to the same idea.

As they entered the tavern, a pleasant warmth struck their faces. Ron beamed around, looking for familiar faces. He found some, including Ginny and some of her friends. She waved at him, and he waved back, grinning. His grin faded somewhat as he saw Ginny beam at Harry. A red blush crept all over her face, and she quickly downcast her eyes. _Don't bother, _he though. _Don't, Ron Weasley._

The three sat themselves at a table close to the entrance door and ordered themselves three big butter beers. Madame Rosmerta brought the three beers over. She smiled at Ron, who shiftid uneasy in his chair. He had always had a strange sort of crush on Rosmerta.

'Did you have a good look?' a female voice asked. Ron furrowed his brow as he looked to Hermione, who had spoken to him. Her eyes were cold and burning. 'What do you mean?' he asked, still not getting the point she had made. 'Rosmerta,' Hermione hissed, teeth clenched. 'I saw you look at her, Ronald. Why? Is she that gorgeous to your eyes?' She shook her head, clearly offended.

'It was nothing,' Ron protested. 'She's way too old for me Hermione. Why do you ask anyway?'

Hermione's face turned dark red. 'Never mind,' she said, looking down into her butter beer. 'Just start drinking Ron. I'm in no mood to argue with you now, okay?'

Ron shrugged. Sometimes he didn't understand girls at all. They were just so strange to him, with al their emotions and hidden meanings to words. He decided to drop the subject altogether. He wasn't into arguing with Hermione either. It was to nice just sitting in the Three Broom Sticks warming up, looking outside. Ron frowned. _Since when had it gotten that dark? It must be only three in the afternoon_, he thought uneasy, _what is going on?_ His hand made its way to his pocket, grabbing the small wood of his wand.

A sudden bang made the walls of the Three Broomsticks shake. Ron immediately got up, staring with wide eyes towards the door. 'That was no firework,' he exclaimed. His hand gripped his wand tightly as another explosion sounded within the village. He could hear screams now.

Harry and Hermione also got up, wands drawn and looking ready for a fight. Other guests of the Three Broom Sticks got up and started shouting, trying in a frenzy to get out. More explosions could be heard outside. The screaming intensified. 'We have to get back to the castle!' Ron shouted. 'I don't know what's going on, but this isn't pretty at all!'

The three of them run to the door. Harry pulled it open and carefully stepped outside. People were running past them, terrified looks on their faces. 'What's going on?' Hermione cried out as another explosion made the ground shake. Ron looked around, trying desperately to figure out what was going on. His eyes focused on several figures marching into the street. They had black cloaks on, wands drawn. His blood turning to ice.

'Death Eaters!' he screamed, tugging Hermione along. Harry followed, looking back at the four figures marching. Green bolts escaped the wands of the Death Eaters. Ron saw one old man fall. He did not get back up. Several houses were burning, smoke filling the dark sky. 'We need to get back to the castle,' Harry screamed. 'The Death Eaters won't get past the security shields. Come on!'

They ran towards the edge of the village. At some point, Ginny joined them. Her hair hang loose, and her wand was in her hand. 'I stunned one of them,' she screamed. 'He came charging into a store. Nobody was hurt.' She grinned. Ron nodded and Harry patted her on the shoulder. The four of them made their way to the entrance of the village. The road towards Hogwarts was packed with people, all trying to get to the safety of the castle as soon as they could.

Ron looked back. He stopped walking as he saw one Death Eater charging right towards them, a savage grin on his face. The man raised his wand and pointed it directly at Hermione. Ron felt his blood turn to icy. 'Bloody hell you won't!' he screamed as the others turned. From the corners of his eyes he saw Hermione take a step back, her eyes locked to the wand pointed at her chest. Ron raised his own wand. '_Reducto!_' The beam of light hit the Death Eaters right above his stomach. He was thrown back several meters and lay still, not moving again.

'Go!' Ron shouted. 'To the castle!'

As the four of them neared the castle, the panic subsided. Several members of the Order and Aurors guarded the gates. Others were marching towards Hogsmead, led by McGonagall. Flashes of light were visible on the edge of the town. A low thunder echoed in the sky as curses collided and fighting began in earnest. Ron turned around at the gates, torn between wanting to protect his friends and willing to fight alongside the Order members.

'Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione!' Ron turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Remus Lupin came running to them, followed by Bill Weasley and Kingsley. Their eyes searched the sky, their wands loosely in their hands. Kingsley had an ugly looking burn on his right cheek.

'Professor!' Harry called him. 'What's going on?'

'Several Death Eaters have raided Hogsmead, as you've found out yourselves,' Lupin explained, scanning the distant clouds. 'We have several fighters down there, cleaning up the mess. None got killed. However, several people from the village were either killed or captured. Dumbledore was furious when he found out Death Eaters could so easily get near the castle.' Lupin shook his head, tired. 'He wants to speak to the four of you.'

Ron nodded. He looked at his friends. Ginny and Harry stared at each other, silently talking. They seemed to have no eye for anybody else. Then Ron looked to Hermione. She was staring at him, her face still flushed from the running. 'Thank you,' she mumbled.

'What for?' Ron asked surprised.

'You saved my life out there,' Hermione said. 'I saw that Death Eater aim at me. Only your quick wand work kept me safe.' She smiled at him. It was a warm and genuine smile that made Ron blush. He suddenly felt hot. 'It was nothing,' he said slowly. 'You're my best friend Hermione. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. No Death Eater will get near you.' He felt stupid for saying those words, but it was the truth as he saw it.

Instead of laughing at him or trying to argue, Hermione only smiled. 'I know Ron,' she said. 'I know.' She hugged him, sending a jolt through his body. Ron couldn't help but grin down at her. 'Let's get moving,' he suggested. 'We can't make Dumbledore wait, can we? I've heard that old man can get really grumpy when there left waiting.' Laughing, they made their way towards the castle.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter four**

**The words of Albus Dumbledore**

Ron entered the Headmasters chambers. He looked around, scanning the strange objects surrounding him on all sides. Frankly, he had no idea what they were used for. He heard Harry, Ginny and Hermione enter behind him. Dumbledore was seated behind his desk. A hint of a smile was playing on his lips as he looked up at the four of them. His eyes twinkled.

'Professor!' Harry said. 'Why did you want to see the four of us?' He looked questioningly at Dumbledore, who was just sitting there smiling. 'Everything in due time Harry,' the Headmaster said and gestured them to sit down in the four chairs opposing his desk. 'Sit down, please.'

The four of them seated themselves, glancing at each other. None of them knew what Dumbledore would want to discuss with them. Ron had an idea that it would have something to do with the growing powers of Voldemort and the boldness of the Hogsmead attack. Ron shifted nervously in his chair, not meeting the sparkling eyes of Dumbledore. He could feel Hermione sitting next to him. He dared not glance at her. It would do him no good to start blushing in the face of the Headmaster himself, he knew.

'So,' Dumbledore said slowly as they were all seated. 'Death Eaters in Hogsmead, right under my large nose.' He sighted and shook his head. 'I should have known it was coming sooner or later. It's only naturel for Voldemort to test my power and patience.'

Ron nodded. The attack had left him feeling exposed. If even Hogsmead wasn't safe and secure anymore, what place was? Even Hogwarts itself could be under attack soon. _Don't be that stupid Ronald Weasley, _he mentally smacked himself, _of course the Death Eaters wouldn't dare attack the castle itself. Dumbledore is here, is he not? _

'Headmaster?' Harry suddenly asked in a small voice. 'Why have you summoned us here?'

Dumbledore smiled as he saw the shocked faces of Ron, Ginny and Hermione. 'Of course Harry,' he said with a smile. 'I should have known that you were not easily fooled. This summoning wasn't because of the Hogsmead attack, although I must admit I feel a great relief to see you all safe.' Ron gulped as the eyes of the Headmaster locked with his own. 'Protecting friends is something not everybody does lightly.'

Ron felt his ears glow as he nodded, unsure of what to do. From the corners of his eyes, he could see Hermione beam up to him, a large smile on her face. His stomach constricted momentarily.

'I wanted to talk to the four of you about the dangers we all face,' Dumbledore said. He looked each of them in the eye. 'The Order has been busy lately to try to gain support inside the Ministry, but I fear it's hard. Most of the Ministry heads still fear Voldemort, and some of them won't admit they were wrong past year.' He shrugged and shook his head. 'It is as we predicted it would be. Voldemort is using terror and fear to prevent us from uniting against his cause.'

'Just like the last time he rose to power,' Harry stumbled. 'It's beginning all over again.'

'It does,' Dumbledore acknowledged sadly. 'And we are not strong enough to face Voldemort in an open battle. There are still some mysteries to crack here. I assume you've all heard from Harry about my duel with the Dark Lord past summer?' The four of them nodded. Ron nodded too. He hadn't been conscious to witness the epic fight, but he had heard enough from Harry to get a clear picture inside his head. It must have been terrific to witness, he assumed, as both great wizards desperately tried to harm each other in the Atrium.

'Well,' Dumbledore continued after a short break. 'I haven't killed Voldemort. I assume I could have inflicted some serious harm to him, but I haven't killed him. Don't you four ever wonder why?' He looked at them, question in his eyes.

Ron frowned. He assumed he hadn't given much thought to the questions Dumbledore now asked them. He had been too busy trying to stay alive and out of the hands of Death Eaters.

'We don't know Sir,' Ginny said.

'Good,' Dumbledore smiled and clasped his hands. 'Voldemort can't be killed by me. I doubt any of us has the magical abilities to kill him at the point. We have to take another path, a dark path, if we ever want to destroy the Dark Lord completely.' Dumbledore looked at Harry then. 'It cannot be like the last time. Voldemort was torn away from his body, yes, and for years he was a shade of his former self. His power was shattered, his mind broken. But still, he found a way to return to power. He found a way to once again wage war in the wizard world. We must make sure that doesn't happen this time. This time, the solution must be … final.'

Ron blinked with his eyes. He had no idea what Dumbledore was talking about. He knew of course that Voldemort hadn't been truly dead the last time, but what did it matter? He had been gone for years

'What are you assuming Headmaster?' Hermione asked in a small voice.

'I'm assuming that Voldemort has indeed pushed the boundaries of magic into the unknown,' Dumbledore stated. 'The simple fact that he has not been killed by his own rebounding curse says something, miss Granger. He must have made some terrible spells or objects to save his life, even if it was only a shade of his former self.'

'So we must find out what's keeping Voldemort alive,' Harry muttered, more to himself than to anybody else present in the Headmaster's office.

'Agreed,' Dumbledore smiled. 'That is exactly what we should try to do. But it will be dangerous. I can only guess at this point, but the evidence I have collected points to some pretty dark magic, dangerous magic. It could easily turn against us. I have no idea what Voldemort has waiting for us, once we discover his secret.' The Headmaster shrugged. 'It could well be that we need to fight our biggest fears, or sacrifice loved ones, if we want to stop him. It's the price this terrible war is asking from us in order to achieve victory.'

Ron shivered. It wasn't cold in the office, but it suddenly felt like al warmth was sucked from his body by some unseen magical power. Losing the ones he loved. His eyes immediately shot towards Ginny, whose face was pale as a ghost's. He wouldn't let his little sister dy. He couldn't do that. Then his eyes darted to Harry. His best friend, the only person alive who had survived an attack by Voldemort himself. He couldn't let Harry fight this war by himself, could he? Then, last, his eyes flickered to Hermione. She seemed upset, but her face was like stone itself, refusing to break down. He felt a sudden urge to protect her. No Death Eater would come near her, of harm her family. That gave him an idea.

'Headmaster?' Ron asked unsurely. All attention turned to him as he spoke. He winced. 'Could I aks you a favor? It's … it's about Hermione, Sir.' He looked at the girl. Hermione seemed surprised and looked at him, a thousand questions in her brown eyes. 'What is it then?' Dumbledore asked. Ron cleared his throat, looking into his lap. 'We must send on or two memebers of the Order to protect Hermione's parents,' he stumbled. 'There Muggles. They have no means of protecting themselves against the Death Eaters. It's only a question of time before Voldemort finds out about them.'

Hermione gasped as he spoke. Her eyes filled with tears, and for a moment Ron was unsure if she was mad at him. Then she swung her arms around him. 'Thank you,' she mumbled. 'Thank you Ron.' He returned the hug, again feeling his ears grow red.

'You're absolutely right mister Weasley,' Dumbledore said. 'It's a shame I haven't thought about that little problem earlier. I will immediately send your father over to their place. I think it would be a good idea to transport them to the Burrow. They will be safer there than anywhere else, I think.'

Ron nodded and padded Hermione on the back. As she let go of him, she gave him a huge smile that made here face lit up. Ron silently made an account in his mind to make her smile like that more often. The though confused him. He shook his head, returning to the Headmaster's office. He would think over Hermione another time, when he didn't need to pay attention to what happened all around him. This was important, he told himself.

'You can go back to your dorms now,' Dumbledore said brightly as he rose from his chair. 'You will want to talk about the things that have been said in here. And of course you'll want to hear the stories of the other students about the Hogsmead attack.'

'Thank you Sir,' Ron said. 'Thank you for all of this. We will help you find out what's keeping Voldemort alive.'

'Oh, yes, one more thing,' Dumbledore said as the four of them reached the door. They all turned to watch the smiling Headmaster. 'I think it's my duty to inform you that I will be the one to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts this year, since I've again failed horribly to get a Professor on the job.' He shrugged.

Ron opened his mouth and closed it again, not producing any sound. As he looked at his friends, he saw three god smacked faces. None of them had been expecting this announcement. 'Great,' Ron finally said. 'Till next week then, Headmaster.' Dumbledore smiled at them and nodded again.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter five**

**The potion of pain**

Ron yawned as he made his way towards the dungeons. Snape would be there, in his usual fool mood of course. But Ron suspected the Potions Professor would be completely out of his debt as the news had spread around the castle at lightning speed. Albus Dumbledore himself would become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The Headmaster would actually teach students how to fight of Death Eaters and other dark wizards and creatures.

Snape was waiting for the class in his dark dungeons. As usual, potions were brewing all over the place. Ron sniffed the scent and shrugged. He had never liked potions, but he admitted they could come in handily as they fought Death Eaters. Hermione seated herself next to him. Ron beamed up at her and smiled. He had the feeling that they had become closer in the week since Ron had told Dumbledore about her parents. He had certainly gained some status with Hermione, he knew. With that thought, Potions suddenly didn't seem so bad.

'Sit down!' Snape said. His voice was like a dangerous snake, ready to strike. His dark eyes scanned the room. 'I want you to read page 267 of your book. The potion it contains is called Draught. Does anybody know what that potion does?'

Hermione's head shot up before Snape was done talking. No one else seemed to know the answer to the question. Snape gave Hermione a dirty look before looking at the class. 'Nobody?' he said in a cold voice. 'What a pity.' Ron felt anger swell in his chest. Nobody dismissed Hermione like that, he decided. 'I believe Hermione knows the answer Professor,' he spat out. 'It's her hand in the air after all, isn't it?'

Snape looked at him. 'Mister Weasley,' he said dangerously flat. 'I was assuming you had grown some brains over the past years. Ten point from Gryffindor for interrupting my lessos. Now than, the Draught position is called the potion of pain. Any drinker will suffer through hellish pain. The only known antidote is pure essence of dittany. Any questions?'

'Yes sir,' Ron said. He stood up, locking eyes with Snape. 'Why do we need to learn this Potion?'

Snape sighted. 'You should really learn to control your tongue Weasley,' he growled. 'The reason you need to learn this potion, is because the last time the Dark Lord was in power, he used this potion to kill of his enemies. So unless you want to die a terrible death, I suppose you'll be brewing this potion. Get to work.'

Ron sat down, suppressing his anger. He risked a glance towards Hermione, only to see her staring at Snape. A frown was visible on her forehead. 'What's wrong?' Ron whispered, careful not to attract attention from Snape himself. 'I simply don't understand,' Hermione whispered in his ear as she continued to look at Snape. 'Why would Snape want us to brew something like this? Don't forget he's been a Death Eater himself, Ron.'

Ron nodded. It was strange, he thought. Usually it was Ron or Harry who would come up with the past of Snape. The fact that Hermione was mentioning it now said something. 'Don't think about it too much,' he whispered back. 'Concentrate. We don't want to risk detention, do we now?'

'Agreed,' Hermione said. 'I'm worried about Harry though. He doesn't need any scene now that's strengthening his suspicions towards Snape.'

'I know,' Ron said. 'We'll talk to him after class. After all, we don't want to get into too much trouble already, do we now?' Hermione smiled at him and nodded. The two of them held each other's gazes for a little longer than was necessary. Suddenly, they both seemed to come to their senses. A blush crept on their faces as they swiftly broke eye-contact and concentrated on school.

They worked on their potion for an hour. Ron was happy to see his potion was a dark shade of green, the color that was described in the book. As Snape walked past he beamed into his potion, seemingly ready to give him another tirade. The Potions Professor blinked and looked at the dark green shade. He frowned. Ron silently challenged him to say something. Snape shook his head and continued on to Seamus. Ron grinned softly to himself.

As the lesson drew to a close, Ron watched as Malfoy padded to Snape's desk. The two spoke in low voices, and it was obvious to Ron that Malfoy was angry about something. He watched as Snape vigorously shook his head, taking to the boy. He had never seen Malfoy angry with Snape before. The two of them had always seemed best friends, enjoying the tormenting of Gryffindor students in the dungeons. Ron saw that Harry was also looked, a dark look in his eyes. He prayed in silence that his best friend wouldn't give in to his anger and suspicions.

It wasn't a minute too soon when Snape announced the lessons were over. Ron quickly grapped his books and made his way to the door. He waited in the corridor for Harry and Hermione to show up. As expected, when they did, Harry was fuming with rage. 'You saw the two of them talking over there Hermione,' he said loudly. 'Don't pretend you didn't. I'm sure there up to something, and it won't be anything pleasant.' Both of them stopped near Ron, still shooting daggers at each other. Ron sighed and rubbed his neck. He would, again, be the one to restore peace.

'Let's not jump to conclusions now, shall we?' he said in a nervous voice. 'Maybe Harry is right. Hell, if I would have to imagina anybody inside Hogwarts to do Voldemort's bidding, if would be Snape. He has the history, the character, everything. But we can't be sure. We can't just storm to Dumbledore to tell him about our suspicions if we don't have actual evidence.' He raised his voice as he saw Harry trying to object. 'You know how Dumbledore is. He trusts Snape. We will need to find evidence before we go to him, Harry. There's no other way.' Hermione nodded.

'Alright, alright,' Harry exclaimed. 'But I'm telling you, if Snape of Malfoy tries anything, I'll be the first one to hex them into the seventh hell.' He spat.

Ron tried not to sight. He knew Harry. Once the boy had bitten himself into something, he wouldn't let go. He had always been this way, and it seemed the harsh reality and dangers of the war outside the castle were making him even harder. Ron wasn't sure it was a good thing, but he couldn't think of anything to stop it. He would just have to go along and see where it all ended, one way or the other.

'Harry, Ron, Hermione!' A voice called out to them. Ron smiled as he saw Ginny striding towards them. Her eyes shone. 'I've just heard that Hagrid is back. He's back from whatever he's been doing for the Order lately.' She smiled brightly.

'That's great news!' Ron exclaimed as he also started grinning. 'We can go talk to him. I'm fed up about not hearing anything. Maybe we can get Hagrid to talk about what Dumbledore and the Order are up to. What do you think?' He looked at his little sister, fully aware that his suggestion had already crossed her mind before. He was right.

'We should go and see Hagrid,' Ginny said. She looked at the others. 'I know he's been busy for the Order, but we need to see him. I miss him, really.' She ended in a small voice, clearly uncomfortable by her own words. Harry smiled gently and padded her on the back. 'It's alright Ginny,' he said in a low voice. 'We'll go and see him. Right now.'

As they made their way towards Hagrid, Ron looked at Harry and Ginny. The two of them had really become closer, although Ron new they both tried to hide it. Ron smiled. He still felt a pang of regret and anger if he saw Harry with his little sister, but he could handle it now. He had managed to convince himself of the fact that Ginny was far better off with his best friend than with some bloke Ron hardly even knew.

'I'm proud of you,' Hermione said suddenly, in a deadly serious voice. Ron looked down at her. 'Why?' he asked. He had no idea what Hermione was talking about, he realized.

'Isn't if obvious to you, Ron? Because you act so normal around Harry and Ginny,' Hermione said, sounding as if she was explaining the most obvious thing in the world. Ron loved the way she seemed angry and joyful at the same time. 'You were never able to act like this before. You would always get grumpy and protective. You wouldn't want Harry near you for hours. I wonder what's changed?'

'I don't know,' Ron admitted as he glanced at his little sister. 'Maybe it's just the war and everything that's going on. I want her to be happy, Hermione. Bullocks, I want everybody to be happy for as long as they can.' He stared at Hermione, unsure of what he was doing. 'Love and trust are, I think, the greatens weapons one can have against Voldemort. He's all pain and suffering and fear. We must not let him control our lives like that.'

He blushed slightly as he saw Hermione smile. _Am I really making that much of a fool of myself when I'm with her? _he thought. 'I think your right Ron,' Hermione said, still smiling. 'You can be so brave, if you want to. I love how your being here for everyone.' Her fingers brushed the skin of his cheek. He felt like his was on fire and couldn't help but grin happily. Hermione winked at him and turned a bright shade of red as she realized what she had done.

Ron was interrupted from making a comment as he heard Harry knock on the front door of Hagrid's hut. He blinked sheepishly. Had they already crossed the entire Hogwarts terrain? It seemed so, he decided, as the front door opened and Hagrid came into view.

'Hello there!' he exclaimed happily. 'Come in, come in. I was already wondering when you four would show up.' He grinned as he stepped back, letting the four of them into the little house.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter six**

**The Order's plans**

Hagrid grinned as they sat down at the huge kitchen table. He poured them steaming hot tea and sat himself down with a grown. Ron thought Hagrid looked tired, but his eyes still beamed with joy as he looked upon the four of them.

'How are you Hagrid?' Hermione asked him as they all sat down. 'We haven't seen you in ages. Where have you been lately?' Ron knew she was desperately trying to sound casual, but it wasn't a very convincing thing. Hagrid smiled at the four of them. 'Of course I should have known you were coming here to get some answers,' he beamed. 'And I'm sorry to disappoint you. I will not be telling you what I've done.' He grinned widely. 'Not everything, that is.'

Ron chuckled. He knew Hagrid wasn't the person to hold anything to himself. He was their most trusted source on the business of the Order. 'Tell us then,' he urged.

Hagrid put down his mock of tee. He suddenly looked old and tired as he stared at the four of them. 'It's not good,' he said and shook his head. 'You Know Who knows how to play people. He knows where the fairs of witches and wizards are. He had won over the werewolves, the dementors and some of the surviving giants. Most people are scared of his Death Eaters. Every family keeps closely to itself, not trusting anybody else. It's bad out there.'

Ron felt Hermione tense beside him. A look across the table made clear to him that Harry and Ginny were also taking the news hard. It all seemed so far away inside Hogwarts. The war hadn't touched the castle yet. 'What's the Order doing about it?' he asked.

'We can do only a little,' Hagrid said. It was clear that he was unhappy with that fact, as his voice was soft and weak. 'We have some eyes and ears inside the Ministry. But the Death Eaters have also succeeded in infiltrating. It isn't surprising, of course, but it makes it all a lot more dangerous. We can't even trust the close aides of the Minister himself. For all we know some of them could have been placed under the Imperious curse. Or they could be Death Easters themselves. We don't know one hundred percent who supports You Know Who and who doesn't.'

Harry sighted. 'It's just like when my parents died,' he whispered. 'We can't be sure who our allies are. And all the time, Voldemort is growing stronger. How long will it be this time before he gets true power, Hagrid? There must be something we can do.'

'We can,' Hagrid assured him. 'The Order is working to gather as much information as we can about the hideouts of the Death Eaters. They are not yet powerful enough to do as they like. You Know Who does not yet posses the power of the numbers to overthrow the Ministry of Magic.' He grinned, a savage and dangerous grin. 'The Order is trying to find out his master plan. We've heard several whispers about it, but we can't figure it out. We're working on it though.'

Ron pressed his lips together as his thoughts raced. A master plan. Voldemort must have found a way to either overthrow the Ministry all at once, or gain enough power and followers to do some serious damage to the wizarding world. Ron didn't want either of that to happen.

Suddenly Harry jumped up. 'This can't be,' he growled, clearly upset. 'We can't allow Voldemort to become as powerful again as he was last time. I was only a baby back then, but since that time I've heard enough of how it was like. What's the Minister doing? I though Scrimgeour was tougher than Fudge? What is he doing to stop the Death Eaters?'

'Calm down Harry,' Ginny said. 'It isn't as easy as that, and you know it. Scrimgeour is in the dark, just as we are. Who can he trust? Who works for the enemy? He might know even less than we do, since he's not in the Order or something.'

'I know,' Harry sighed as he got back to his chair. 'But I just feel so helpless, locked here inside the castle. We can't help fight Voldemort from here, can we?'

'You can,' Hermione told him. Her voice was high, and Ron knew she was fighting back tears of frustration and nerves. 'Voldemort can't get to you in here, can he? You're safe Harry, and that's all that matters right now.' She looked at him. 'Voldemort can't find you. If your dead, the entire hope of the wizarding world is gone. The Order can fight, as long as you stay safe. You need time to grow in your magical powers, Harry.'

Harry looked at Hermione. He was clearly still upset, but forced himself to nod. Ron thought about the words of Hermione. Harry had always said he would be face to face with Voldemort again. It was clear to everybody that the two of them couldn't walk the same earth without clashing. One could not live, when the other one was not dead. There would come a time when the two came face to face to fight it out. Ron just knew that would happen. _We need to find out his secret, _Ron thought, _we need to find out why he didn't die the first time around. Only after we know that, we can search him out and destroy him once and for all. If his agents don't get to Harry first, that is._

'Something's bothering you?' Hagrid asked him.

'We suspect something,' he blurted out. 'Harry thinks he saw the dark mark on the arm of Draco Malfoy. It was during the dueling hour. And Snape made us brew a potion of pain just this morning.' He avoided Hagrid's eyes as he spoke. 'Thinking of it, it would all make sense for Voldemort to have eyes and ears inside Hogwarts. Right under the nose of Dumbledore and the Order. And … and they would be close to Harry. Very close.' He shrugged.

'No way,' Hagrid said quickly. 'Dumbledore trusts Snape. Malfoy might be a Pratt, but he isn't even of age yet. Voldemort wouldn't send him right under the nose of Dumbledore. It would be a big mistake if he did.'

'Maybe,' Ron said. 'But it would be hell of a lot easier for Voldemort to take power if he knew Harry was being watched. Or kidnapped. Or dead.' Hermione whimpered. Ron felt a pang of regret, but he wouldn't take his words back. It was the truth, and sometimes the truth was hard to accept. But this was a war. People were dying every day.

'We will not let them get close to Harry,' Ginny said, a dangerous tone in her voice. 'We will hex them into the seventh hell when they try.'

'We sure will,' Ron said. 'Although I still don't like the idea of Death Eaters lurking in the shadows. It feels like they're out there, waiting for us to come out. The attacks of the past few weeks weren't pretty. They were mend as a signal to the resistance. It was a message. They don't want anybody to try and stop them gaining power.'

'I'll tell you one thing,' Hagrid said, leaning on the wooden table. 'Voldemort isn't sitting still. He's not showing himself again after what happened in the Atrium, but he's around. He's gathering a massive army. The attacks of past weeks are just the beginning. If he gathers enough followers, bloodbaths will follow. The Ministry of Magic will shake on its foundations before this war is over, mark my words.'

His words lets a deep silence in the house. None of them spoke, to occupied by their own dark thoughts. Harry got up first. 'We need to get back to Hogwarts,' he said, looking at nobody as he spoke. 'Dumbledore will kill us if he finds out were outside of the castle after dark. It was nice seeing you again Hagrid.' He smiled.

They left Hagrid and walked in total silence towards the castle. It seemed not even the animals wanted to disturb their thoughts. Ron walked next to Hermione. From the corners of his eyes, he watched out for her, waiting for her to show any of the emotions clouding her brain. Nothing came. Ron smiled to himself. She could be so strong, he realized, stronger than he was for sure. His gaze lingered on Harry, and he lost a step.

Harry was silently crying. His face was twisted in anger. Ron stopped, and as he stopped walking, Ginny and Hermione stopped too. Everybody looked at him. 'Harry?' Ron said, unsure of what to do. 'Are you alright?'

'Something is coming,' Harry whispered. 'I can feel it. Voldemort isn't one to sit by and wait. He will try to get to us. He will try to get into Hogwarts. I doubt it will be long before we find ourselves under siege or something. As soon as the Ministry falls, he will try to gain control of the school.'

'But the Ministry won't fall,' Hermione assured him. 'You heard Hagrid. They are doing everything they can to protect the wizarding world. And we have the Order.'

'Don't,' Harry interrupted her. 'You're making the same mistake, Hermione. I have seen what Voldemort is capable off. I know how he feels.' He shivered and shook his head. 'He will take over the Ministry of Scrimgeour doesn't come up with a plan. And he's too scared to do that. You've heard Hagrid. The Death Eaters are already inside the Ministry, working to overthrow it even as we speak. It's inevitable.'

'Don't despair Harry,' Ginny said. She touched his arm, which was still trembling with emotion. 'You are only one human. We do what we can, but this war is much bigger than we are. We must have faith in friends and family. Let them do the fighting for now, please?'

'We must do something,' Harry said as they reached the castle. 'We can't just sit here waiting for Voldemort to come to us. He will, if he's feeling powerful enough. We've fought him before. We know what he is capable of.'

'I know,' Rom said. 'We want to fight too, Harry. It's just that we don't know how. We are not in the position to go hunt down Death Eaters, are we?'

'I will think of something,' Harry growled. He was clearly still very much upset. 'I don't want to lie low here, waiting for Voldemort to attack us. We need to start fighting back if we want to have any chance of winning this bloody war.' With those words, he walked away, leaving Ron, Hermione and Ginny occupied with their own doubts and fears.


	8. Chapter Seven

_First of all, I want to say thank you all for the reviews and views. I would have never expected people to react so good to his. It makes me want to write faster than I currently am. However, I should warn everybody: in the coming days I'll be buisy with colleges, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to upload in the coming three days. I will try though! I'll not abandon this fiction :) Cheers!_

**Chapter seven**

**A vision**

Ron awoke. He sat up in his bed, looking around, searching for the source of him waking up in the dead of night. He heard moaning come from the bed closest to him. Harry's bed. Ron kicked the blankets away and padded towards the bed. He threw the curtains back. Harry was laying on his side, thrashing back and forth.

'No, no, no.' Harry mumbled in his sleep. Ron got over to his bed, a worrisome expression on his face. Harry had been having nightmares before, but this seemed to be worse. Ron saw sweat on Harry's face. He growled a curse as Harry again thrashed in his sleep, as if he was experiencing some extreme emotions or pain. 'Don't, don't go there. Don't do it. Stop!'

With that screamed word Harry bolted up. With big eyes he looked around. As he found Ron, he seemed to relax a little bit. 'Are you okay mate?' Ron asked. He helped Harry get out of bed, watching him as he drank down some water. He was still trembling.

'It was horrible,' Harry stumbled, seemingly unable to look him in the eye. 'Horrible. I've never felt so scared in my life. Gods, all those people. All those people are going to die tonight Ron. I'm sure they are. I felt his anger. He wants' to make a clear statement.'

'What is it?' Ron asked, worry etched in his face. 'What did you see? Harry?' He padded Harry on the shoulder, turning him back towards the here and now.

'I saw him,' Harry managed to chook out. 'Voldemort. I saw his army assembling, Ron. It was huge. And he talked as if … as if he was ready to use it. Against the Ministry. Tonight.' He shivered as a new wave of nausea took him over. 'I saw his Death Eaters kill several Aurors near the entrance to the Ministry. They will be completely surprised by the sudden attack. He has huge numbers at his back Ron. Dementors, werewolves and hundreds of wizards.'

Ron jumped up. 'Come on,' he screamed. 'We need to get everybody out of bed. We need to speak to Dumbledore right now. If Voldemort succeeds in taking over the Ministry, he will come to Hogwarts afterwards. He will want his victory to be complete. Come on!' He didn't wait for his best friend as he darted towards the door.

Harry nodded and followed him. Ron drew his wand and pointed it to the centre of the common room. He held his breath as he performed the spell. In silence he thanked his father from learning him the spell as a boy. A thunderous bang was heard, making the walls and the ground shake. A misty voice spoke up. _Students, out of bed. Danger. Students, out of bed. Danger. Gather in the Great Hall. Danger. _The monotone voice kept repeating the same words over and over again, resounding against the walls. Ron grinned. He knew that the voice would be heard everywhere inside the castle.

Harry came to stand beside him. He listened to the voice for a moment. 'Impressive,' he said with a wide grin. 'You should teach me that spell sometimes Ron. It's really usefull.'

Ginny and Hermione came into view only a minute late. Both had their wands drawn. Their eyes scanned the common room, searching for danger. They immediately relaxed as they saw Harry and Ron standing in the centre of the room.

'What's going on Ron?' Hermione asked him. 'Why have you sat of the alarm.' Her eyes darted from one corner of the common room to the next, searching for answers.

Ron felt a strong urge to protect her. He stepped forwards without thinking. Ron hugged her. 'Harry had a vision,' he explained as he hold onto her tightly. 'Voldemort is about to storm the Ministry. Harry says he's got a huge army behind him. Tonight is the night he's poised to strike. We have to get to Dumbledore. We have to warn him and the other members of the Order. The castle needs to be protected in any way we can think of.' He held tight onto Hermione and could feel her body shake in his grip. He didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to expose her to the dangers out there.

'Let's go then,' Ginny said in a strong voice. Wands drawn, they rushed though the castle. More students were getting up, asked what was going on. Several ghosts looked at them as the sped past. None of them asked anything. It was, Ron though, as if they knew already what was going on.

As the four of them arrived at Dumbledore's chambers, they found the hall crowded with people. Ron stopped dead in his tracks. 'Dad? Mom?' he asked as he saw his parents talking to Bill and Charlie. The four of them looked grim. Everybody had their wands drawn and looked ready for a fight. 'What are you doing here?'

'We got a urgent message from Dumbledore,' Bill explained. He grinned. 'He said we all needed to gather here. It seems You Know Who has made his move. Tonight, there will be fighting. Not here though, don't worry. We'll protect the castle in every way we possibly can. I wonder what set off that alarm? I haven't installed it for sure.'

'You didn't,' Hermione said brightly. 'Ron did. He woke up the entire castle. This way, the students will be alarmed. Nobody gets hurt tonight because of him.' Ron couldn't help but grin as he heard the pride in her voice. Bill looked at him and slowly nodded. 'Great,' he mumbled.

'Alright,' McGonagall said. 'I will look after the students. They will all be assembled in the Great Hall tonight, until we get news from the Ministry. That way we can keep an eye out on everybody.' She drew her wand and started muttering spells. Blue light rushed through the hall producing a strange noise. To Ron it sounded almost like cracking waves. He felt Harry move next to him.

'Professor,' Harry said. 'Keep an eye on Malfoy, please. I know it sounds stupid, but maybe he will try something.'

'Mister Potter,' McGonagall said to him in an angry tone. 'Don't talk rubbish. I understand you are tense, but this is no time for jokes like this. Young Malfoy is a student. You might not like him that much, but You Know Who would be wiser than to use an underage boy to fight his war for him inside the castle. It would be desperate.' She shook her head.

'Just do it!' Harry screamed. 'For once, I don't want to answer questions. Believe me, Professor, I know what I'm talking about this time round.'

McGonagall muttered something. Her brows rose as she looked at Harry, clearly surprised by his sudden outburst. 'Alright, alright mister Potter,' she said grumpy. 'I will. Now, you need to go. Be safe and return to us in one piece. I'm sure you all be alright. I'll continue protecting the castle as you go. Somebody needs to do it, right?'

Ron nodded. 'That's not enough though,' he said. 'What about all the people the Ministry is currently protecting. If the Ministry falls tonight, everybody will be vulnerable. The Death Eaters will have direct access to the files, wouldn't they?' He was starting to get angry. His family seemed to normal and calm, while he himself was getting more panicked by the minute. 'Bloody hell! Say something to me guys. We're talking about the parents of Hermione here! I swear, if anything happens to them, I'll go kill every Death Eater in the world.'

Hermione beamed at him. 'Thank you Ron,' she whispered. 'Calm down. Everything will be alright. We are warned. We've warned every student in the castle. We won't get surprised tonight.' She smiled at him, making his stomach flutter.

'We don't,' Dumbledore said. He appeared at the top of the stairs, followed by Flitwick, Snape and Remus Lupin. Kingsley, Moody, Lorry and Tonks came marching from another part of the castle, looking grim. 'We are going to aid the Ministry in any way we can. But first, we need to prepare the castle. Some of us will have to stay here.' Dumbledore looked around.

More students filled the corridors. As Dumbledore spoke, many of them offered themselves to go and fight the Death Eaters. Ron was touched by their determination. Dumbledore however wouldn't allow any student to march off to war. He picked Charlie, Dean Thomas, Neville, Snape and McGonagall to stay behind and take charge. 'Protect the castle,' he said in a low voice. 'Do everything you can to strengthen it. It might come in … needy, after tonight.'

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny marched off with the rest of the Order. Some seventh year students also strengthened their numbers, making them more than thirty in total. Ron got up with his father. 'What are we going to do?' he asked.

Arthur Weasley shook his head. 'We Apparate,' he explained. 'That's the only way we can get into the Ministry. Every other access has been closed. It's dangerous, Ron, and I want you to understand that. It could well be we run straight into Death Eaters as soon as we try to enter the Ministry. The attack could already have started.'

'I know Dad,' Ron growled. 'We'll need to fight. I know this. But I won't let He … I won't let everyone down. I promise.' His ears turned red. With a shock he realized what he had almost said out loud against his father. He wanted to protect Hermione. Of course, other people did matter to him, but he realized he was getting truly dangerous if anybody would come near Hermione. He growled as he saw the knowing smile on his father's face.

Dumbledore stopped near the front doors of the castle. Several older students were standing guard, scanning to quit terrain. Their faces looked tense. 'It's done,' Dumbledore said. 'I've lowered the defenses for five minutes. We should be able to Apparate right onto the doorstep of the Ministry.' The Headmaster turned round and looked at them. He suddenly looked old, and his eyes burned with a deep fire. 'I want you to listen to me very carefully. This is not a game. We are going into a war. We need to stay together, protect each other. If anybody falls, don't stop. We need to win tonight. We just need to.'

Ron nodded. He gripped Hermione's hand and looked at her. 'I will protect you,' he said. She smiled and nodded, getting redder by the second. 'Go!' Dumbledore said in a strong voice. Ron closed his eyes and concentrated. He thought about the entrance to the Ministry. The familiar feeling of blackness came over his body as he Apparated into the unknown. Into war.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter eight**

**Fire and Blood**

Ron opened his eyes. The street looked empty, too empty. A feeling of dread passed into him as he saw more students and members of the Order appear around him. Everybody had its wand drawn and looked ready to fight. However, there seemed to be nothing to fight against. The world was quit, at if it held its breath, waiting for the storm to hit home.

'To the entrance,' Kingsley said. 'We need to get into the Ministry. Maybe the attack hasn't started yet. Maybe we still have time to organize some sort of defense.' He sounded hopeful, but Ron saw his clenched jaw. Kingsley knew the odds weren't in their favor this time. Nor was time. They sped towards the entrance of the Ministry. Still, there was no movement visible in the streets. Ron could hear the breathing of Ginny and Hermione, who walked close to him.

From the corners of his eyes he could see the shadows of alleys. He stopped and looked into one of them. For a second, he saw man in black cloaks advancing. 'Death Eaters!' he screamed at the top of his lungs as he recognized the spell they were using to stay hidden. As soon as he screamed, flashes of red and green erupted everywhere around him. Screams could be heard, as well as people yelling and barking orders.

Ron moved closer to Hermione. His wand seemed to have a life of his own as he shot a stunning spell against one Death Eater. The man screamed and tumbled back into the shadows, only to be replaced by two more. Flashes of green light zipped past his head. He could feel their heat on his skin, which was soaking with cold sweat.

'Back to the entrance,' Dumbledore yelled, his voice magically altered. 'We need to seal it before the Death Eaters get in!' The members of the Order and the students started withdrawing, shooting spells and hexes towards the Death Eaters. Ron thought there were hundreds of them. Desperately deflecting another flash of green light, he shot one of his own spells into the advancing mob. Next to him, he could hear Hermione curse under her breath.

Remus Lupin was the first to reach the entrance. He made some kind of glowing shield and shouted for everybody to go down. Ron tugged Hermione along, closely followed by Harry and Ginny. The four of them descended as once. The last thing Ron saw as the ground closed around them was a thunderous flash of golden light which made the street shake. Kingsley and Lupin were shooting curses at several Death Eaters, shouting.

A clear woman voice announced they were in the Atrium. Ron jumped into the large room, looking around. He half expected Death Eaters to storm towards him. There was nodoby in sight. He held his breath for a moment, and then shouted out. 'Anybody here? Show yourself!'

Two young woman came forwards. They were clearly hesitant and had their wands drawn. Their eyes searching the four of them. 'Who are you?' one of them asked. 'Why did you came down? You know there's a curfew. Mister Yaxlex placed it onto the Ministry this very evening. Nobody is allowed to enter the Atrium without his personal permission.' She sounded as if she had said those words again and again that evening.

Harry laughed. 'Yaxley,' he said in a clear voice, clearly amused. 'Girls, I'm very sorry, but I don't care one bit what Yaxley has too say. The Death Eater will probably be rampaging your offices tonight, for he has hundreds of his little friends knocking on the front door right now. So I really suggest you let us pas. Now.' As he spoke, more members of the Order appeared. Some were wounded, others were producing shields to slow down the Death Eaters coming down behind them. Explosions made the Atrium shake. Ginny smiled at Harry and winked at Ron. He found out that he was also grinning like a maniac.

'I see,' one of the two woman said in a small voice. Her eyes watched the members of the Order cast protective spells. 'We better raise the alarms, then. There are still a number of Aurors and employees at work. They can help, I assume.' She sped towards the small office, not looking back once. The ground shook as she used her wand to summon a Patronus charm.

Another explosion made the Atrium shake. Bells began to clang as Ron and Hermione moved further into the gigantic room. 'Don't worry,' he said to the girl next to him. 'I'm here. I'll be sure to watch your back.' Hermione nodded. She held her eyes on the entrance of the Atrium, were flashes of green, red and gold were visible. Several students and members of the Order slowly backed away under the intense pressure of the Death Eater attack.

Some, more people flooded the Atrium. As the first waves of Death Eaters advanced into the room, Aurors charged to meet them in battle. The ground shook. Ron fired some spells, but the chaos was threatening to overtake him. He no longer had a clear vision of who was the enemy and who were his friends fighting and dying. He cursed.

'Ron!' The warning in the voice of Ginny made him turn. A Death Eater came charging towards him, his wand raised. A flash of purple light shot towards him. Ron was frozen to the ground, as he knew he wouldn't be able to protect himself in time. Moments before the spell hit him, a shield rose. The purple light shattered, producing a low hissing sound. Ron looked around, only to see the bright smile of Hermione. 'I think were even now,' she grinned.

Ron had no time to thank her. A group of Dementors entered the Atrium. The air grew cold and Ron could feel desperation rise in his chest. He clenched his fingers around his wand and screamed at the top of his lungs. '_Expecto Patronum_!' Several voices followed his example. The Patronuses charged into the Dementors, throwing them back into the walls.

Ron saw his father fighting two men in smug clothing. Arthur Weasley easily stunned on of them, deflecting a spell from the other as he stepped back. Ron hurried towards him and shot the smug man back. His father looked around and nodded before he threw himself into battle again.

Minutes seemed to turn into hours as Ron fought. He had no idea what everybody else was doing, as he was too busy himself trying to stay alive in the frenzy. He cursed as he saw the body of a Hogwarts student. Her lifeless eyes stared up at him, an expression of shock still visible on her face. Ron looked down to her. He had not really known Lavender Brown, but he regretted that she had to die. He shot another curse towards a Death Eater who advanced on him. The man was thrown back against the wall and slowly slid down.

'Ron!' Hermione, Harry and Ginny were running towards him. 'We have to get out of here, right now,' Hermione said in a panicked voice. 'The Death Eaters have reached the centre of the Ministry. There is still fighting ongoing, but nobody knows where the Minister himself is. Scrimgeour is missing.' He trembled as a series of explosions sounded in the distance. 'The defenses are down. We need to Apparate back to Hogsmead right now.'

Ron nodded. He closed his eyes. Just as he was about to Apparate, several Death Eaters stormed into the corridor. 'Potter!' they screamed as the raced towards them. Ron cursed and ducked away as green flashes of light shot towards him. The floor shook violently.

Ron saw Harry and Ginny firing spells at the Death Eaters from the other end of the corridor. 'Go!' Harry shouted. 'Get out! We'll follow you! Go!' Ron hated it, but he nodded and took Hermione's hand firmly in his. He Apparated back towards Hogsmead. As he looked around, he saw the familiar houses. The village was quit and seemed deserted. No one came out to look to them. Ron figured the inhabitants had all fled to the safety of Hogwarts, or didn't dare to come out to see who was Apparating in the centre of the their town.

Hermione stood next to him shaking. 'I saw her,' she whispered. 'Lavender. She …she was dead, Ron. Killed by Greyback while fighting.' She shivered. Ron took her into a warm embrace, wanting her feelings of dread go away. 'Don't cry,' he said. 'We all knew people were going to dy. This is war, Hermione, and war is never pretty of clean.' He sighted.

A loud bang sounded behind him. Ron turned around, wand raised. Harry stumbled into the street. Ron gasped and heard Hermione do the same next to him. Harry was covered in blood. He had at least three deep cuts in his right arm, and another one in his face. He looked grim and shook. 'Gods!' Ron said. 'What happened?'

'A nasty spell,' Harry said. Somehow, his voice seemed hollow. He trembled as he walked towards them, and then collapsed on the ground. Tears streamed from his eyes. Ron looked around. He didn't see Ginny. Where was his little sister? He looked again, waiting for her to appear out of the shadows of the night. Nobody came, however.

'What is it? Harry?' Ron said. He looked around as the panic in his stomach grew. 'Harry, were is Ginny? Where's my little sister!' His voice cracked as his legs started trembling. Damn, he still couldn't see her.

Harry's body shook with violent sobs. 'I couldn't get to her,' he sobbed, his voice broken in a way Ron had never heard before. 'Two Death Eaters stunned her. They took her, Ron. The Apparated before I could do anything. I … I couldn't. She … o god … she's been taken.' Harry screamed and threw himself on the ground, overcome by emotions. 'I saw them take her away. She screamed. Ron, you have to believe me. I tried everything I possibly could, but it wasn't enough. I … I wasn't strong enough to save her.'

Ron stood in the dead of night, frozen on the spot. From a great distance he could see Hermione helping Harry to get up. His blood seemed to be ice, frozen in his body. He had trouble breathing. 'Ginny,' he whispered. 'Ginny.' He kept repeating the name, as if saying it out loud would help his little sister coming back. A pain blossomed in his chest. He felt like his heart had been cut out. He gasped, feeling unsteady on his legs.

"Oh, Ron.' Hermione walked towards him and embraced him. 'It's aright, don't cry Ron. You're doing fine. That's good.' Ron hadn't even noticed that tears were streaming from his eyes. He knew they were tears of rage. His fist clenched, he stared into Hermione's eyes. 'They will die for this,' he growled. It was a promise. 'I will kill all of them.'


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter eight**

**Fire and Blood**

As the night progressed, more news leaked into Hogwarts. A large part of the Ministry had been sacked by the Death Eaters. A lot of people were killed, but it was still unclear how many. The central archives of the Ministry had been devoured by flames. Death Eaters had taken at least thirty people hostage, mostly close family members of important figures. It seemed like the entire Ministry was going down in chaos and flames.

'Come on Ron, you have to eat something,' Hermione said. Ron nodded, but he didn't move to eat. He could hear how worried Hermione was about him, but somehow he couldn't push himself to care. It seemed his entire world had died. The feeling left him reeling and insecure.

Harry hadn't shown himself for two days. He stayed locked away in the dorm, were Ron no longer slept. He hadn't slept that much overall anyway. He stayed awake most of the night, hoping to get some news from his little sister. He hadn't read anything in the papers. The Daily Prophet tried to keep quiet about the raid on the Ministry, but they were doing a very bad job. It seemed the entire wizarding world knew what had happened. Ron figured it was a miracle after all that the entire Ministry hadn't come down in the chaos.

'Ron!' Hermione slapped his arm. He grunted and pushed some food into his mouth. He didn't even taste what he ate, but if it made Hermione happy, he would eat it all down. She was the one and only thing that kept him going. The realization hit him. He looked at Hermione. Their eyes connected with one another, and Ron could almost see the emotions swirl in her eyes. He gulped. He looked away, not wanting her to see his pain and insecurity.

'I think I'll go look for Harry,' she said in a low voice. 'I'm worried. He hasn't shown himself in the past two days.' She shivered and looked down at her empty plate. Ron said nothing. He didn't feel the urge to go and see Harry. Harry was the one who had been with Ginny. He had let his little sister down, his feeling was telling him. He knew that was not the entire truth, but he still felt the way he felt. He couldn't help it.

'Come,' Hermione said in his ear. He followed her towards the Gryffindor common room, not looking at the people passing around him. He couldn't understand why those people were laughing. They all seemed happy, while he felt dead and saddened. To quickly the two of them seemed to enter the almost completely deserted common room.

Ron stopped and looked towards the stairs that led to the boy's dormitory. He gulped and froze as he looked to the stairs. His best mate was up there. His best mate, who had not brought his little sister back safely. He shook his head. 'I can't do this,' he whispered. 'I can't meet him eye to eye.'

'You can,' Hermione said. She touched his shoulder. The touch sent electric waves through his entire body. It made him look up. Their eyes locked, and he could see the determination and worry in Hermione's eyes. He simply couldn't let her down. He couldn't let Harry down. 'Alright,' he said in a low voice. 'Thank you, Hermione. I don't know how you do this, but you seem to be able to lift my spirit every time we talk.' He grinned as he saw her blush.

Hand in hand, they moved up the stept until they reached the door of Harry's dormitory. Ron let his breath hiss between his teeth as he reached for the door. Hermione smiled at him. Ron opened the door and walked inside. It was dark, as all curtains were closed. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he immediately looked onto Harry's bed. He cursed under his breath. Harry was lying on his bed. He looked to be in terrible shape. He didn't even look up as Ron and Hermione stepped deeper into the dark room. They moved to the sides of his bed in total silence.

'Harry?' Hermione asked in a small voice. 'Please, talk to us. We haven't seen you in two days. You must be starving.' She had tears in her eyes. Ron felt a spike of anger towards his best mate. He made Hermione cry. That was something Ron couldn't let happen, he decided. He drew his wand and pointed it towards Harry. 'Get up,' he growled. 'You're not miserable Harry. Listen to me, and get up, before I hex you into oblivion. Get a hold on yourself.' Hermione gasped as she saw the wand in Ron's hand, but Ron moved so she couldn't touch him. 'Get up Harry!'

Harry got up. Slowly, he sat straight and looked at the two of them. 'Get out of this room,' he said in a deadly cold voice. 'Before something bad happens. I'm always the one to let bad things happen. It's … it's not safe around me. You know this.' He shivered and closed his eyes.

'No, were not going,' Ron said. 'Get up. Get dressed. Now.' He couldn't believe the hardness of his voice, nor the wand that was still pointing at Harry. Somehow, he just knew this was the only way Harry would come to his senses. Harry growled at him and stood on his legs. He went to the bathroom and locked the door. Without saying a word Ron opened the curtains with his wand, letting sunlight stream into the dormitory. He then proceeded to clean Harry's bed.

'How did you do that?' Hermione asked.

Ron blinked and turned round. He had almost forgotten Hermione was there with him. She had stayed quit during the whole confrontation. 'What?' he asked. Hermione looked at him as if she saw him for the first time in her life. 'You got Harry out,' she said. 'When I came in here, I saw him. I froze on the spot. He … he looked to terrible. I didn't know what to do.'

'I don't know,' Ron said. 'I've known Harry for years. He can be really hard on himself, you know that as well as I do. He had reason to. But he needs a firm hand to snap out of it. It seemed today I was the firm hand.' He shrugged. It took Harry some minutes to get back to them. He still looked tired and trembled, but he no longer seemed dead. His eyes were downcast as he stopped in the centre of the dormitory. 'Guys,' he said in a broken voice. 'Thank you. Thank you for getting up here and giving me a kick in the bollocks.'

Hermione laughed. 'You know us,' she beamed. 'We wouldn't let you stay up here. Come down with us, please. You have to eat something.' She looked at Ron. He nodded at her. She was doing fine with Harry, he knew. It was a strange sensation to see Hermione ask him for advice and permission.

They descended towards the kitchens to get some food. Harry ate two full plates of sandwiches. Ron looked on as some color returned to his face. He smiled. He was no longer angry at Harry for not being able to bring Ginny back with him. He saw the deep mental cuts that the kidnapping of Ginny had caused him. _You gitt, _he mentally slapped himself, _she might be your little sister, but Harry is the one in love. It must feel like his parents are taken away from him again. I should have been there for him the moment he returned._

'Harry?' he said out loud. Harry stopped eating and looked up to him, a new nervousness coming to his eyes. 'I want to say several things to you. First of all, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for behaving like a complete idiot for the past two days. It isn't your fault that Ginny has been taken. It could have been anybody, really.' He shrugged. 'Also, I want to say to you that you need to snap out of this. We need you. We need you to retrieve Ginny.'

A new fire burned in Harry's green eyes. He stood up and nodded. Ron thought he suddenly looked a lot more dangerous. 'We will,' he growled. 'I will personally kill every Death Eater that did her any harm Ron, I swear it. We have to get your little sister back.'

'No,' Ron said smiling. 'We have to get your girlfriend back, Harry.'

Harry nodded and walked away. He was going to clear up the rest of his dormitory and promised to join them again for the next class. Ron stayed behind in the corridor leading towards the kitchens entrance. He realized that he was alone with Hermione again, and a nervous ball of feelings dropped into his stomach.

'You were great,' Hermione said to him. She seemed unsure about something, but Ron had no idea what that was about. All he could do was nod. The strange feelings in his stomach wouldn't leave him alone. He gulped in surprise as Hermione suddenly swung herself on him, hugging him for dear life. 'I don't know what I should do without you Ron,' she whispered. 'I'm sorry. I haven't been of real use today, have I?'

'Are you mental?' Ron said and looked in her eyes. 'Do you really think I could have done all this without you, Hermione? I need you. I need you and Harry both. Don't ever say your not worth it into my face again.' He kept looking at her face, drilling his words in.

'Okay,' she whispered. Ron kept holding her. For some strange reason he couldn't let go, and he didn't want to. Something told him this was as it should have been a long time ago. 'I'm sorry too,' he blurted out, not knowing what he was getting himself into. 'I should have been a better friend for the past several years. We've been arguing so often about nothing. I should have been there for you when you needed me.' He looked down.

'You did,' Hermione said, stroking his chin. 'You were, and are, always there when I truly need you Ron Weasley. I … I've learned that you are a person I can build upon. And I will do everything I can to help you get Ginny back safely.'

'Thank you,' Ron said as he hugged her even closer. 'Thank you so much, Hermione. Your everything to me, you know that?' Hermione slowly nodded, as if she didn't believe him. Suddenly, the both of them seemed to realize the position they were in. They quickly let go of each other, not looking the other in the eyes.

'Let's go back,' Ron said uneasy. 'Harry might start to worry. We've got planning to do.' Hermione nodded, a blush on her face.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter ten**

**Leaving safety behind**

The three of then sat in the library. It was the only place where they would be able to talk without anybody interfering. Ron looked on as Hermione and Harry discussed their options. The members of the Order were happy to tell them that they were searching for Ginny, but it disturbed Ron greatly that they hadn't even found a trace of her yet.

'We have to make sure nobody in the Order follows us,' Hermione said in a low voice. 'We need to stay below the radar. The Death Eaters will surely look for Order members of Aurors. I doubt they would expect us three to come after them.' She grinned. It was a determent smile, and Ron felt his heart lift.

'It will be fighting,' Harry exclaimed. 'We will need to act quickly if we want to avoid enemy eyes in the field. But I'm sure were able to do that.'

Ron nodded. He was impatient. All the planning got to his nerves. The only thing he wanted to do was bolt out of the castle in search of his little sister. He had, once again, to take his mind away from the ugly things the Death Eaters were probably doing to her just right now. His jaw clenched as he fought himself for control over his swirling emotions.

A hand on his arm brought him back. 'Have patience,' Hermione gently said to him. Her brown eyes locked with his own, demanding. It immediately calmed him. 'I have,' he said and let out a shaky breath. 'But that doesn't change a thing. I want to go. I want to go and find my sister.'

'I know,' Hermione said smiling. 'We will, Ron. Everything will be alright, I promise.' The strength in her voice amazed Ron every time.

They made plans and notes until the sun set above the castle. When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, the castle was already dark and quit. Ron shivered. His thought again began to wonder, but the presence of Harry and Hermione next to him kept him sane. In his head, however, he listed every Death Eater known to him. He would kill them all if need be, cold blooded. He had never felt this determined before in his entire life.

They sat themselves near the burning fire.

As Ron awoke the next morning, he went down to the common room to read the Daily Prophet. It had become a daily ritual for him. He somehow still hoped to find a clue about his little sister in one of the articles. His eyes scanned the front page. There had been another two attacks in the last days, with the Death Eaters rampaging in Diagon Alley. Ron was about to close the paper when his eyes fell to a photo. He looked closer and let out a cry. He almost dropped the newspaper.

Harry, who was just coming down, rushed towards him. 'What is it? Ron?' he asked, concern etched all over his face. Ron couldn't speak. The only thing he was able to was to point a finger towards the front page of the Daily Prophet.

Harry picked up the paper. He began to read out loud, just as Hermione got down. 'Death Eaters have rampaged Diagon Alley,' Harry read. 'Several people have been seriously injured, but luckily nobody was killed. Two stores selling Muggle goods have been set on fire. Aurors quickly got to the Alley and restored security and order. The Death Eaters haven't been spotted since.' Harry looked up at Ron. 'How is this bad Ron?'

'Keep reading,' Ron said, closing his eyes. Harry shrugged. 'One of the most vile moments during the raid was the moment the Death Eaters showed captured people. They made them walk through the entire Alley. The prisoners were laughed at by Snatchers and other sympathizers of the Dark Lord.' The eyes of Harry immediately darted to the picture. He gasped. 'Ginny.'

Ron nodded, eyes still closed. His little sister was visible in the row of prisoners. Her hair was filthy, and she was pale, but it was still Ginny. Harry put down the Prophet and cursed loudly. His cheeks were red with anger.

Hermione picked up the paper and stared at the picture. 'We have to get her back,' she growled, her voice dripping with venom. 'We're leaving. Tonight. We can't let this happen guys.'

Ron looked at Hermione. He could only agree with her, but it still startled him that she was the one saying such things. Hermione had never been the one to openly advocate breaking the rules, let alone leave school altogether. Ron also new, however, that Hogwarts had nothing anymore to teach the three of them. They were targets in a great war, and remaining at Hogwarts wouldn't improve their situation on the long term. 'Alright,' he simply said. Harry nodded his approval too.

The three of them started packing things. After an hour, they were ready to leave. Hermione put some impressive spells on their trunks, making them invisible to everybody but themselves and lifting them in the air. 'We need some sleep,' Harry said. 'Let's say we meet here in two hours. It will be the dead of night. Nobody will be up.'

As the darkness of night descended over Hogwarts, Ron crossed the Gryffindor common room. He was the last one awake, but not for long. Only a minute later, Harry and Hermione appeared. They said no word as they descended towards the Great Hall. The corridors of the castle were dark and empty. It almost seemed as if there was some sort of silent agreement that nobody would show up to interrupt the three of them. Ron felt tense, but also relieved. Finally, he would be able to do what he needed to do. Nobody would get in his way.

The three of them slowly made their way down towards the front doors. They were still open, and Ron knew it would be another hour before they closed. 'Watch out,' he whispered. 'There will be some guardians. Members of the Order, professors. We have to sneak our way to the gates before we will be able to Apparate.'

Hermione and Harry nodded. Silently, they slipped outside of the castle and into the dark of the night. Ron looked around. He couldn't see anything in the dark. It could well happen that they would bump right into some members of the Order. He bit his lower lip.

As they neared the gates of Hogwarts, Ron stopped. Harry and Hermione stopped next to him and peered into the darkness of the night. There was nobody in sight. It was almost too good to be true, Ron though. 'Let's go,' he said. 'We've got only one chance to do this right. We need to get my little sister back as soon as possible.' He blocked his mind for the visions that came with his words. It were terrible visions of his sister, broken beyond repair. He clenched his teeth in anger.

Hermione touched his arm. She smiled, and a warm feeling crept through him. It made Ron calm down and think. They sneaked closer to the gates. Suddenly, the air felt warm. Ron hissed and stopped walking. Invisible strings of air kept him from moving further towards the gates. Next to him, Harry and Hermione also struggled with invisible bonds.

'Well,' a familiar voice said. Ron closed his eyes and opened them again. Dumbledore was standing in the front of them, a smile on his face. 'It seems we have rather strange guests at the gates this night. I see my trap worked perfectly.' He clapped his hands and smiled again. The air vanished and the temperature got back to normal. Ron rubbed his neck, unsure of what to do or say.

'Harry?' Dumbledore said. 'Tell me why you and your two loyal friends have come here tonight. Surely, it wasn't because you wanted to take a closer look at the castle's defenses.'

'No, Sir,' Harry said, averting the eyes of the Headmaster. 'We … we were going to sneak away from the castle tonight. We were going to search after Ginny, Sir.' He cleared his throat.

'I see,' Dumbledore said. His face gave away nothing of his deeper thoughts. 'Well, you wanted to go out there to chase down Death Eaters and dark creatures? How do you think you three could survive without backing?' He looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ron had his answer ready. He had thought about this often in the past few days. 'We are not ready,' he said in a small voice. 'But we need to be. This war will not wait for us, Sir. We have to do what we can. And I refuse to sit here waiting until those Death Eaters break my little sister. I won't let it happen.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'Love is a powerful force,' he said. 'And I believe you, Ron Weasley. I have trust in the three of you. I can understand the feelings you have towards Ginny. Like I said, love is a powerful force in this world.' The Headmaster sighted. 'I think I won't be able to stop you. I need to let you go and test your strengths.'

Ron blinked with his eyes. He looked at the old Headmaster, totally dumbfounded by the words he'd just heard. 'You let us go?' he whispered. Dumbledore nodded. 'Yes,' he said in a more powerful voice as he smiled again. 'I will be keeping an eye on you three however. Take this.' He reached inside his pocket and gave the three of them a golden coin. 'I believe your already familiar with this, since miss Granger here has done this before.'

Hermione beamed with pride as she took her galleon. Ron took his. It felt warm in his hands, as if the coin had a life of its own. 'When you need me, just press the head of the Goblin on the back of the coin,' Dumbledore explained. 'I will come as quickly as I can. Good luck. This war is bigger than everybody of us, but that doesn't mean I can't give you some form of advice. The Death Eaters didn't take Ginny for nothing. They know how much she means to you all. I doubt the Death Eaters had no plans with her. They wanted you to see her in the Prophet.'

Ron nodded. The three of them had already figured that out. It was likely they were walking right into a trap, intended to get Harry to Voldemort. Ron didn't mind. He would fight for his little sister, even if that mend that he would need to fight his way through hundreds of Death Eaters.

'I suggest you take refuge in Grimmauld Place,' Dumbledore said as he escorted them towards the gates of the castle. 'Members of the Order will regularly pass by there. You can trust them. We want to gather as much information as we possibly can before Voldemort makes his next move. It can't be long before he tries something serious once again. Good luck.'

The Headmaster stopped just within the magical protection barriers of Hogwarts. He smiled a tender smile towards the three of them. Ron felt himself warm up. He would not let his Headmaster down. He would not break the bonds of trust that now bound them together. 'Thank you for everything,' he whispered as he closed his eyes and Apparated. His last thought went to Ginny. He would find his little sister, and nothing would be able to stop him from doing that.


End file.
